Carytown imports a new business

Artisans Shop owner Michelle Moore with some of her store’s wares. (Photos by Lena Price)

A new retailer is bringing a taste of Latin America to Carytown.

The Artisans Shop, which stocks handmade jewelry, art and clothing, launched last week at 3324 W. Cary St. The space was previously occupied by a cupcake bakery.

Owner Michelle Moore said most of the inventory will come from Guatemala, where she grew up before moving to Virginia seven years ago. She also imports products from Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia.

The shop at 3324 W. Cary St.

“Our goal is just to get some of the best things that these countries have to offer on the shelves here,” Moore said.

Before leasing the 1,700-square-foot Carytown storefront, Moore sold Latin American art and jewelry wholesale in Fredericksburg. She moved to Richmond and invested about $50,000 to get the shop up and running.

“We’ll have new items coming in almost every week,” Moore said.

Moore and her daughters, who help with the business, travel to Latin America to pick out products. Once a shipment is ready to go, Moore said it can cost between $8 and $15 per pound to mail.

“Sometimes it can cost more to ship something than the product’s actually worth,” Moore said. “But we try to avoid that.”

Moore said that everything in the store is made by hand and that most items are environmentally friendly. In the next few weeks, Moore said she plans to start stocking some African products and fair trade coffee.